WEDDINGS

B.LOVED Edit Supplier Spotlight: Just Bespoke

Meet Lisa, the wedding planner behind the luxury wedding planning company Just Bespoke! Take a tour of her chic office captured by the wonderful Hannah Duffy Photography, and see our exclusive interview with Lisa about Just Bespoke, her career as well as her signature style and wedding trend predictions for 2019!

­­Tell us about Just Bespoke…

I started Just Bespoke back in 2009 after a 10 year career in PR, with the aim of creating a business dedicated to providing an unrivalled wedding planning service for clients across the UK. My first client was actually a Premier League footballer – talk about being thrown in at the deep end! This year we are launching a private events arm to the business which will see us helping clients new and old with celebrations including baby showers, children’s birthday parties, engagement parties, anniversary parties and dinners, proposals and milestone birthdays. Our aim is to become the legacy planners of choice and we can’t wait to see how this new chapter unfolds!

Our focus is on luxury celebrations and no matter the client, the budget or the brief, we are down to earth, friendly and approachable and remain committed to each and every client that we serve. We fully understand life’s fast pace and we work with clients who have demanding careers, young families, short time frames or those who are planning their celebrations from overseas. We also have considerable experience working with clients in the public eye and have robust systems and practices in place to ensure their privacy and discretion.

We offer a boutique business approach which appeals to those clients who value the ultimate planning partnership and who are looking for a true luxury planning experience. Our belief is that the client is at the heart of each and every event that we plan, and we take our skills and experience, marry it with our clients’ vision, and seamlessly bring it to life to create a beautifully curated celebration. Over the years, the shape of the business has changed but our ethos remains the same and we are excited to see where the next chapter takes us!

How did your career as a wedding planner begin?

When I left university I really wanted to get into wedding planning and so I researched the top companies here in the UK and wrote to each and every one of them asking for advice, work experience or an entry-level job. I didn’t get a reply from any of them and so set off on a different course – working in PR – where I knew I would get the opportunity to build up some events experience. The goal was never to have my own business, however as I continued my research I realised that most of the people I had initially approached in the wedding planning world were operating on their own, They didn’t have huge teams behind them and many worked out of their homes – a serious example of perception vs reality!

It wasn’t until many years later that I got my break when I was introduced to my first client through my then-boyfriend, now-husband. The couple didn’t care about my wedding planning credentials, they wanted to know that I could plan an event and I had a lot of experience in the field by this point so they took me on. This first client gave me the drive to look into the possibility of setting up on my own. I spent the next two years freelancing in PR whilst building up my wedding planning business on the side – looking into all aspects from writing a business plan, creating my website and branding and starting to market myself.

With friends and family on board to help with advertising the business to their connections, I managed to pick up a few clients whilst still in this planning phase and so I was fortunate to hit the ground running when I officially launched the business.

What is your signature style of wedding?

Talking about a signature style is difficult as we actually find that clients come to us for our approach rather than a particular style that we showcase on our website. Ultimately our goal is to help clients plan and execute a wedding which reflects their style and vision – not ours – but they come to us as they are looking for a planning partner who is down to earth, discreet and professional.

Whilst we work with clients on a range of celebrations, all with their unique briefs, we consider our style to be timeless and our approach to be collaborative.

That being said, a few elements which are apparent in 90% of the weddings that we organise:

We like to create timeless and authentic celebrations and as such, we don’t really focus on trends but take inspiration from the world around us. For weddings, we have seen a lot of love for a more organic style in the last 12 months – less structured florals, natural fabrics and a focus on grazing stations as opposed to formal dining experiences. For celebrations, we are really enjoying planning some fun outdoor parties for next summer. I think people are really embracing the warm weather that we have been enjoying and so are looking ahead to 2019 and how they can capitalise on this for their parties. We have a really fun 30th birthday pool party in planning as well as a relaxed festival-style anniversary bash.

Do you have any wedding trends predictions for B.LOVED readers?

In terms of trends, I tend to look to the US, South Africa and Australia for inspiration in terms of what is likely to feature heavily for brides and grooms in the next 18 months. They always seem to be one step ahead of the curve. We don’t really focus too heavily on trends as we want our clients’ celebrations to feel timeless and personal but would strongly recommend looking at blogs in these countries if you want to add some fresh ideas to your vision.

What inspired your chic office design?

If I hadn’t changed career and entered the world of weddings, I would definitely have looked into the prospect of interior design as I love everything about home styling. Since starting Just Bespoke, I’ve always worked from a home office and when we moved home last year our new property had an outbuilding at the bottom of the garden – a very attractive green shed! It felt like the perfect space to use as my new office and so I started to think about ways to make it a bit more stylish and on-brand. I wanted a space that was bright and airy and that would comfortably accommodate myself and my assistant Emma, as well as having an area where we could meet with suppliers and prospective clients if required.

Our brand colours are primarily blush, taupe and gold and so I looked to use these in the décor to create a stylish and contemporary space but which also felt feminine. The most extravagant element of the office is actually the outside cladding which covers the horrible green wood and makes the office a lot more modern, but otherwise, everything else is relatively inexpensive using a mix of high street favourites and good old Ikea!

I think the key to a good office is having a space which feels fresh and inviting but which is also organised. Everything in the office has a place and a purpose and that is key. It’s quite a girly space – we always have fresh flowers in the vases and candles burning – but I think this creates a really nice atmosphere and we actually enjoy coming to work each day!

Catharine

For me, there’s nothing more fulfilling than creatively bringing exciting new ideas and beautiful features to B.LOVED that inspire you to find the soulful moments in your life.
As well as B.LOVED Editor, I am also a Wedding Photographer and Graphic Designer. I love sunshine, dreamy interiors, travel and animals! I share my life with my Fiancé James and our rescue dogs Joey & Teddy.